How to Show Your Guests Excellent Hospitality at Your Wedding
While your wedding day is all about you and your soon-to-be spouse, you want to make sure your guests have a wonderful time too. This means showing your loved ones excellent hospitality that’ll help them to feel welcome, appreciated and looked after.
Getting it right can feel like a mammoth task – particularly with so many other details to organize. To help deliver the best possible hospitality to your guests, here are three tips to consider.
Provide Refreshments
Weddings tend to be long events, often beginning with a morning or early afternoon ceremony and wrapping up late into the night after the reception party. For this reason, it’ll be your responsibility to keep your loved ones fueled, so they feel comfortable, energized and happy throughout the day.
Consider serving canapés after the ceremony, and a three-course dinner for the wedding breakfast, and make sure to keep the drinks flowing all day. Great hospitality means serving good quality, tasty food – and adhering to any dietary requirements your guests may have, such as by offering vegan and gluten-free options. If you can, try to ensure these are served at the same time as the other dishes on your menu, so that those with dietary requirements can enjoy their meals alongside your other guests.
Keep Them Entertained
There will be plenty of times throughout the day that you won’t be able to interact with your guests. For example, when signing your marriage license, taking photos with your wedding photographer, or simply pausing for a moment to spend time with your new spouse. Even when you are available to mingle, you won’t be able to speak to all your guests at once – so it’s important that you have plenty to keep them entertained.
Most couples opt to hire crowd-pleasing entertainment like a live band. Music will help to encourage a fun, lively ambiance at your wedding reception, and can be used to create a more elegant, romantic atmosphere during your cocktail hour.
Show Your Appreciation
Some of your guests might have travelled a long way to attend your wedding. They may have had to hire a babysitter, book a hotel for the night, or purchase an outfit in keeping with your dress code. On top of this, they’re likely to have put lots of thought into buying you the perfect wedding present.
Of course, being a wedding guest can be lots of fun, and some of these details are just part of the experience. However, because your loved ones will have gone above and beyond to make your day special, it’s important to show your appreciation.
Remember to make time for your guests throughout the day and thank each person for coming. Thank-you cards can be sent out after the big day, and should include a special mention of each wedding gift – this will show your loved ones just how much you value their attendance and generosity.
A Celebration Fondly Remembered
No matter how it unfolds, the day of your wedding will always be an important one to you and your other half. To ensure it’s a celebration everyone remembers fondly, make sure to show your guests excellent hospitality at your wedding.
